"Never Again"

AUGUST, 2013, UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

President Obama

"Never again is a challenge to societies. We're joined today by communities who made it your mission to prevent mass atrocities in our time. You understand that change comes from the bottom up...from the grassroots. You understand, to quote the task force convened by this museum, "preventing genocide is an achievable goal, but is one that does not start from the top, but starts from the bottom up." What you all understand is- you don't just count on officials, you don't just count on governments-you count on people and mobilizing their consciences."

"Out of our memory...of the Holocaust we must forge an unshakable oath with all civilized people that never again will the world stand silent, never again will the world...fail to act in time to prevent this terrible crime of genocide....we must harness the outrage of our own memories to stamp out oppression wherever it exists. We must understand that human rights and human dignity are indivisible."-Jimmy Carter

"Here we will learn that each of us bears responsibility for our actions and for our failure to act. Here we will learn that we must intervene when we see evil arise. Here we will learn more about the moral compass by which we navigate our lives and by which countries will navigate the future."-George W. Bush talking about Holocaust

Responsibility to Protect (R2P)

New York Times Examiner, 2013.

"138. Each individual State has the responsibility to protect its populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. This responsibility entails the prevention of such crimes, including their incitement, through appropriate and necessary means. We accept that responsibility and will act in accordance with it. The international community should, as appropriate, encourage and help States to exercise this responsibility and support the United Nations in establishing an early warning capability." -2005 World Summit agreement on the responsibility to protect populations suffering gross human rights violations.

"The concept of the responsibility to protect populations from genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing is one of the most important recent developments in the world’s ongoing efforts to eradicate genocide and mass atrocities. It provides us with a useful way forward as we struggle to address how nations can best respond when populations are threatened with the gravest international crimes."—Madeleine K. Albright